A 969 rebuild from Downunder.

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kw573
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Re: A 969 rebuild from Downunder.

Post by kw573 » Mon Feb 05, 2018 11:51 am

Here are some pictures of some work done last week on the passenger side mudguard.

This looked annoying . . . .

Image


. . . . but was actually pretty easy to fix. The trick is to do a tiny bit at a time, moving back and forth across the dent bit by bit.

Image


Here is the rust before I welded the rebated top strip that will weld to the bonnet top panel.

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And clamping the replacement rebated strip in place for welding, and slow job, but just small steps, lots of them!

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Checking the fit of the two bonnet panels. This turned out to be quite problematic as nothing was quite straight.

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But I did get it done. After some checking, I could see no reason to not fit the brace. Here it is clamped in place ready to be welded, it was a tight fit, but really stiffened up the bonnet.

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Although I had done all the body filler work I could thus far, I had left the outside of the fluted panel adjacent the brace-attachment-position free of filler, as I knew the welding would burn it off. Here is the heat damaged undercoat which I have cleaned off, filled, and undercoated.

Image


Onward and upward.
Have a nice day.
Sam.
1942 Script GPW (Daily driver).
MB-T trailer.
Diamond T 969. ('The Glorifier')
Diamond T 969, rusty, complete, for sale.
Kenworth M1A1 Heavy Wrecker x 2.
M2A1 white HT. ('Clarrie')
Light Recovery Trailer (Ford?).
3ton GS (Blitz) Trailer.
150gal water tanker trailer.
Air compressor trailer, 100c.f.m.


kw573
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Re: A 969 rebuild from Downunder.

Post by kw573 » Mon Feb 05, 2018 12:03 pm

A couple more pictures.

Holes drilled ready to weld the two panels together.

Image


Holding the bonnet in shape and clamping while welding. This turned out to be a bit of a mess, the panels moved on each other and I had done several spot welds before I noticed. It was not pretty and took quite a bit of messing around to get it looking OK. I have no clue how the panels moved, they were both bolted and clamped together.

Image


Anyway, it is done now. Phew!! :|

Sam.
1942 Script GPW (Daily driver).
MB-T trailer.
Diamond T 969. ('The Glorifier')
Diamond T 969, rusty, complete, for sale.
Kenworth M1A1 Heavy Wrecker x 2.
M2A1 white HT. ('Clarrie')
Light Recovery Trailer (Ford?).
3ton GS (Blitz) Trailer.
150gal water tanker trailer.
Air compressor trailer, 100c.f.m.

kw573
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Joined: Mon Aug 11, 2008 10:48 pm
Location: Near Bundaberg, Australia.

Re: A 969 rebuild from Downunder.

Post by kw573 » Tue Feb 06, 2018 4:22 pm

Occasionally, I get bored/tired/over a particular job that is dragging out or being persistantly unco-operative, so I go do something else. One of those other jobs was to complete the plumbing for the engine air pre-cleaner. At the time, I had just put it on the air cleaner and left it.

Image


But now it was time to find a proper and vertical mount for it. Space is getting tight there, but I did not want to run long lengths of plumbing. After some thinking and test fitting it, there really was only one place for it, albeit a tight space. When I was first fitting the engine, I had purchased a 3" exhaust doughnut and used 1/3rd of it on the turbo outlet and 1/3rd on the turbo intake. After some hunting around, I found the remaining 1/3rd and made up this short bend . . .

Image


. . . painted it (see the two reflected lights, not the fluros, on the pipe? One is the camera flash and the other is the setting sun.) . . .

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. . . . , rotated the air cleaner about 45deg., and fitted the pre-cleaner in place. The top is barely 1/2" from the cab-to-radiator brace rod and the pipe is just above the tappet cover. To service it, I'll have to loosen the clamp on the air cleaner and rotate the pre-cleaner outward to clear the rod. If that gets tiresome over the years, I can always make up a brace rod that goes around the pre-cleaner.

Image


One more job done.

Sam.
1942 Script GPW (Daily driver).
MB-T trailer.
Diamond T 969. ('The Glorifier')
Diamond T 969, rusty, complete, for sale.
Kenworth M1A1 Heavy Wrecker x 2.
M2A1 white HT. ('Clarrie')
Light Recovery Trailer (Ford?).
3ton GS (Blitz) Trailer.
150gal water tanker trailer.
Air compressor trailer, 100c.f.m.

kw573
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Posts: 1232
Joined: Mon Aug 11, 2008 10:48 pm
Location: Near Bundaberg, Australia.

Re: A 969 rebuild from Downunder.

Post by kw573 » Wed Feb 07, 2018 5:46 pm

I made a start on the drivers side inner mudguard, which was in quite reasonable shape. The two larger holes can be seen toward the right in picture, the smaller one is for the fuel pipe to rise from the chassis mounted fuel filter. But what is the larger one for? My Homebush truck has that hole as well and it is unused.

Image


This was the major problem, a fatigue crack at a weak point . . .

Image


. . . . which I welded up, from both sides, and that really stiffened up the panel. Then several coats of primer, some filler, and endless fine sanding around the flutes. I'll be glad to see the last of these fluted panels.

Image


A few other small repairs, and painted it. Couldn't resist fitting it! Sweet!!!

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Mid way along the lower edge is a small hole, see below. The passenger side guard has it also, but what is it for? Anyone?

Image


It was so nice to start and finish a panel in about two days, instead of two weeks! Delayed gratification is essential in this game, sadly scarce in todays' world.

One more job done.
Sam.
1942 Script GPW (Daily driver).
MB-T trailer.
Diamond T 969. ('The Glorifier')
Diamond T 969, rusty, complete, for sale.
Kenworth M1A1 Heavy Wrecker x 2.
M2A1 white HT. ('Clarrie')
Light Recovery Trailer (Ford?).
3ton GS (Blitz) Trailer.
150gal water tanker trailer.
Air compressor trailer, 100c.f.m.

70th Division
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Re: A 969 rebuild from Downunder.

Post by 70th Division » Thu Feb 08, 2018 4:09 pm

Great looking work Sam !!!
I was surprised to see more fluted panels :D :D :D
But you have tackled these ones in short order,
it must be exciting to see your hard works become a completed masterpiece !

I have really enjoyed your posts on this Diamond T !!

You are getting closer to the prize !!!

Keep up your great works, looking forward to more updates :D


Best Regards,

Ray

kw573
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Re: A 969 rebuild from Downunder.

Post by kw573 » Thu Feb 08, 2018 6:34 pm

Thanks Ray,

Right now, the two bonnets and first inner guard are fitted and I am about 2/3 done with the second inner guard. This has called for some other jobs that had been put on the back burner, viz., the pre-cleaner mount, the oil filter piping and the hand throttle to be done. It would be a little bit clever of me to finish those things before I fit the inner mudguard, otherwise I'd have to do those jobs standing on my head!

Pictures on the way.

Sam.
1942 Script GPW (Daily driver).
MB-T trailer.
Diamond T 969. ('The Glorifier')
Diamond T 969, rusty, complete, for sale.
Kenworth M1A1 Heavy Wrecker x 2.
M2A1 white HT. ('Clarrie')
Light Recovery Trailer (Ford?).
3ton GS (Blitz) Trailer.
150gal water tanker trailer.
Air compressor trailer, 100c.f.m.

kw573
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Posts: 1232
Joined: Mon Aug 11, 2008 10:48 pm
Location: Near Bundaberg, Australia.

Re: A 969 rebuild from Downunder.

Post by kw573 » Mon Feb 12, 2018 6:26 pm

Hi all,

As I have been approaching the fitting of the bonnets and inner guards to stay (I think/hope!), I thought that I should do some of the jobs remaining under the bonnets. This one was the fitting of the throttle cable. The cable I have is off an early MB/GPW, the pressed metal type, that were used on the 969s throughout, as far as I understand. It was rusted solid.

Image


I wire buffed it and soaked it in a rust remover overnight to try it out (the rust remover).

Image


The result was pretty un-spectacular!

Image


Very careful prying gave no response . . . .

Image


. . . so I soaked it in some diesel/kerosene from my parts washer for a few hours and tried again.

Image


If you use a hammer on the end of the knob, it will quickly collapse, so I found a collar that is a good fit around the rim of the knob, which is much stronger. Then it can be tapped very carefully with a hammer.

Image



Solvent and rust started coming out of the housing, so back and forth, pry and tap . . . and gradually it let go without any real damage. Phew!!!

Image


The next step was to extend the cable outer by about a foot. An old lawn mower throttle control cable is, more or less, the same. While preparing the ends to be brazed together, I discovered that the original outer, being a spring-like tube, is, unusually, a double start wind, or it is two springs wound together!

Image


Anyway, I brazed them together . . .

Image


. . . . but the inner cable would not pass through. Hmmm, the brass must have closed up the middle. So it was cut open only to find that it was the flux that had filled the center. It was easy to drill out, and I brazed them back together only to have the same thing happen. But this time, I bent the cable enough to get the drill into it to clean it out and managed to straighten it again without too much distortion!
Then the inner cable was extended by grinding the ends on a steep slope the greatly enlarge the surface area of the join.

Image


. . . . and brazed them together. That didn't work either. It broke when first tested in the outer cable. But it was not the braze that failed, but the cable adjacent the join. That meant that it was a heat treatment issue, the steel had become brittle at the edge of the HAZ (heat affected zone). So, once again, I re-did the join, but this time I post heated the cable to a faint straw color (I read that somewhere), and it seems to have worked, but early days yet.

Image


So, painted, fitted and lubricated (love my needle point grease gun attachment!) it.

Image


All the while, I was also designing and manufacturing the bracket to attach the cable to the throttle linkage. The picture shows this to be on the passenger side, as originally, this cable was connected to the carburetor which is on the passenger side. I used the cable clamp from a Briggs and Stratton engine and have designed it to actuate only to about half throttle which is modern practice and all that is needed. There is some adjustment if I want it changed a bit in the future.

Image


One more job done.
As I write this, I have not yet tested it with the engine running.
Soon, I'll have to finalize the wiring on the firewall for the lighting, that could be a bit tricky, we'll see.

Enjoy.
Sam.
1942 Script GPW (Daily driver).
MB-T trailer.
Diamond T 969. ('The Glorifier')
Diamond T 969, rusty, complete, for sale.
Kenworth M1A1 Heavy Wrecker x 2.
M2A1 white HT. ('Clarrie')
Light Recovery Trailer (Ford?).
3ton GS (Blitz) Trailer.
150gal water tanker trailer.
Air compressor trailer, 100c.f.m.

70th Division
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Re: A 969 rebuild from Downunder.

Post by 70th Division » Sat Feb 17, 2018 6:20 pm

Hello Sam,


That was a very nice save on that rusted up throttle cable, I will keep your methods in mind
when I get to some of mine :D
I hope it works great once you start her up !!

Best Regards,

Ray

kw573
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Re: A 969 rebuild from Downunder.

Post by kw573 » Mon Feb 26, 2018 10:12 am

Hi everyone,

Here are a few more jobs that needed doing before fitting the engine side panel.

I was not happy with the remote oil filter hoses being only about an inch (25mm) from the turbo outlet pipe. After some investigation, I decided to lift the filter about 4" (100mm) and also move it outwards the same distance. This would lift the filter out from behind the alternator and into the considerable air flow of the fan and give the space to fit steel pipes near the turbo pipe but still retain some hose for flexibility. I purchased hydraulic pipe and fittings that are brazed together and the pipe is soft enough to be easily bent.

Image


To finish it off, I modified an exhaust tail pipe hanger rubber from a modern car to clamp the two pipes together for some added support, and shortened the hoses. And some paint. It seems to be very secure and I am a lot more confident that it will give no trouble on the rough outback roads I intent to travel.

Image


Just because I felt like it, I made some captured nuts for the Passenger side inner guard (engine side panel). I firstly cut the development (net?) from 1.6mm and was wondering why it was a bit of a battle to fold them up, then realized that the originals were 1mm thick! Anyway, here are some at different stages of manufacture . . . .

Image


. . . . and how I did some of the bends. Having a short length of square steel, key steel I think, the right size made all the difference in getting them correct.

Image


This is bolted in place ready to weld.

Image


Enjoy.
Sam.
1942 Script GPW (Daily driver).
MB-T trailer.
Diamond T 969. ('The Glorifier')
Diamond T 969, rusty, complete, for sale.
Kenworth M1A1 Heavy Wrecker x 2.
M2A1 white HT. ('Clarrie')
Light Recovery Trailer (Ford?).
3ton GS (Blitz) Trailer.
150gal water tanker trailer.
Air compressor trailer, 100c.f.m.

kw573
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Posts: 1232
Joined: Mon Aug 11, 2008 10:48 pm
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Re: A 969 rebuild from Downunder.

Post by kw573 » Tue Feb 27, 2018 10:54 am

Hi everyone,

The instrument lights were next.
I had the bulb holders and covers, but the holders were empty. I have some NOS ones, but these were in good condition.

Image


After identifying the base-of-bulb type, a . . . can't remember. . . BS9s IIRC, I went searching for some holders to donate parts. Turns out to be a very common size in 1960s-1970s Inter truck instrument gauges, and probably many others as well. This gave me the correct wire end, spring and fibre washer which fitted straight into the original bulb holder. I even soldered the wire end fitting (like a small rivet) onto the correct colour wire.

Image


Due to problems with these lights being unreliable with earthing problems, I fitted a separate earth wire.

Image


Next, I cleaned the inside of the covers, etched, primed and painted the inside white for better light emission.

Image


Then fitted them, tidied the wiring under-dash and tested. Even in low daylight, they throw good light onto the instruments. Good!! :D

Image


As an aside, I am gradually preparing the correct gauges to replace the incorrect ones on my dash. The next one will be the speedo, methinks.

The passenger side mudguard has me bluffed a bit at the moment, so I am doing other smaller jobs until I am in a good mood for it.

Have a nice day.
Sam.
1942 Script GPW (Daily driver).
MB-T trailer.
Diamond T 969. ('The Glorifier')
Diamond T 969, rusty, complete, for sale.
Kenworth M1A1 Heavy Wrecker x 2.
M2A1 white HT. ('Clarrie')
Light Recovery Trailer (Ford?).
3ton GS (Blitz) Trailer.
150gal water tanker trailer.
Air compressor trailer, 100c.f.m.

70th Division
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Re: A 969 rebuild from Downunder.

Post by 70th Division » Tue Feb 27, 2018 3:53 pm

Hello,

Really nice detailed work Sam !
The picture with the lighted dash is great, that would make a nice "art" print :D :D


Keep up your good work, you will be riding around the Outback soon :D :D :D


Best Regards,

Ray

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40 Chevy
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Re: A 969 rebuild from Downunder.

Post by 40 Chevy » Tue Feb 27, 2018 3:57 pm

Sam,

The hole in question from a few post back is for the spring that is attached to the rubber Airline to be attached to the inner fender well
1940 G4112
1942 G509 969A
1942 G116 series 2
1944 G116 series 5
1942 Sterling HC 165 tractor
1944 Autocar U7144T

mudflap
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Re: A 969 rebuild from Downunder.

Post by mudflap » Tue Feb 27, 2018 7:28 pm

Hi Sam,

Awesome skills and craftsmanship - as always.

With regards to your oil filter lines, have you ever given any thought about using a braided stainless steel ?

While on a much smaller scale, I used this stuff for the oil pressure gauge flex line at the interface between the engine and the body. It is also near the exhaust manifold. When I took the original off it was as hard as a brick. I am surprised that it had not failed.

Oil Filter 01.JPG
Oil Filter 01.JPG (23.15 KiB) Viewed 1536 times


Many of these hoses are rated at 400 - 450 deg F. With their close proximity to the exhaust manifold, this material along with their threaded connections might serve you well in terms of reliability,



Oil Presssure 03 Lo.jpg
Oil Presssure 03 Lo.jpg (127.72 KiB) Viewed 1536 times
Oil Presssure 04 Lo.jpg
Oil Presssure 04 Lo.jpg (113.03 KiB) Viewed 1536 times


You can either buy or modify mating fittings, and silver braze them to the tubing to make a strong, reliable connection. The one in the pic was a SS plug, that I drilled to accept the tubing.

Just my $0.02.

Best Regards,

Bob

Marty, SoCal
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Re: A 969 rebuild from Downunder.

Post by Marty, SoCal » Mon Mar 05, 2018 5:52 pm

Enjoying following your posts, wont be long now! :P

Your post on restoring and improving the dash lights works for many WW2 vehicles including the G503s!
43 Ford GPW 92098
53 Dunbar Kapple M100
Sold: 61 CJ-5, 41 T207 WC-1 Dodge closed cab pickup
MVPA #8266
USMC Tanker (1811, 1812), 85-93
ASE Automotive Master tech, former Chrysler-Jeep Level 4 Mastertech, CA state EA smog license

kw573
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Re: A 969 rebuild from Downunder.

Post by kw573 » Tue Mar 06, 2018 12:29 pm

Hi Bob (Mudflap),
That certainly looks a good solution. As I have already thrown AU$200 at this set up, I'll leave it as is unless it gives trouble. I have since picked up some used (= cheap) heat wrap to use if I'm not happy with it.
Having said that, I have also bought another almost identical engine for the next re-build, an M1A1 heavy Wrecker. Your idea may be used on that engine.

Hi Marty,
There is a bit of a problem with the LEDs, in that they do not give true colour through the lenses. I have fitted an amber lens to the front B/O marker lights to use as indicators, but the LED gives a lemon colour through the lens. It is a white light LED. A scientific friend of mine tells me that the LED-produced light has a different (shorter?) wavelength to incandescent light. I am undecided whether I am going to tolerate this minor issue, or play around with different shades and tones of lens color. Has anyone done this with success? I read on the 'G' that red lenses give a slightly orange color.
I could always go to colored LEDs, but then I'd have to fit clear lenses. Not sure I want to do that.
The prices of LEDs vary wildly. Online, I have found them for around US$25 each shipped, to AU$4 + shipping in Oz. Over-the-counter finds were AU$20-30 each.
But I bought some at a local flea market (!) at AU$6 each.

Anyway, pictures are following sometime.
Have a nice day.
Sam.
Last edited by kw573 on Tue Mar 06, 2018 2:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
1942 Script GPW (Daily driver).
MB-T trailer.
Diamond T 969. ('The Glorifier')
Diamond T 969, rusty, complete, for sale.
Kenworth M1A1 Heavy Wrecker x 2.
M2A1 white HT. ('Clarrie')
Light Recovery Trailer (Ford?).
3ton GS (Blitz) Trailer.
150gal water tanker trailer.
Air compressor trailer, 100c.f.m.


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